Man has wrestled with the problem of mooring boats almost from the times when he first ventured forth on the water astride a log. While it was possible in ancient times to simply drag boats up the beach when occupations such as fishing were completed, such an expedient is only conceivable in situations where plenty of manpower is available and would not be considered at all by a modern day yachtsman. In addition, such ancient schemes required a large amount of beach space, a commodity which is no longer available, especially in the crowded coastal regions of the present day.
Many methods for docking and mooring boats have bee devised including protected harbors having tide gates to guard against excessive tides, moles such as a Le Havre, fixed docks or piers to which boats can be tied up, and floating docks or piers, the field of the present invention. A floating dock system can provide mooring space for boats in areas which formerly were open water along with reduced land-based requirements. Floating docks must be somehow be prevented from floating away altogether, as by mooring ropes, anchors, guide piles, etc. The invention contemplates a system in which guide piles are employed, but in which fewer piles are required than in systems known to the inventors.